Button-attaching machine.



B. KOTKOVSKY BUTTON ATTACHING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 101 I915. 1 182 019, Patented May 9,1916.

6 SHEETS-SHEET I.

WITNESSES:

A 770R/VEY B. KOTKOVSKY.

BUTTON ATTACHING MACHINE.

APPLICATION men JUNE 10. 1915. 1,182,019. Patented May 9,1916. s SHEETSSHEET2 INVENTOR v fla e amp? %m%ou5 WI TNE SSE 8:

A 7708MB v B. KOTKOVSKY. I BUTTON ATTACHING MACHINE.

I APPLICATION FILED JUNE 0. 1915- 1,182,019, Patented May 9,1916.

6 SHEETSSHEET 3.

* L l/WEIVTOR WITNESSES:

. ATTORNEY B. KOTKOVSKY.

BUTTON' ATTACHING MACHINE.

Patented May 9, 1916.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 5 a M 0 E N m D E L H N 0 H A C U P P A @N I. MN 11.I

N Z IZEIZEEE w l/y W Q v ww ATTORNEY B. KOTKOVSKY.

BUTTON ATTACHING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 10. 1915.

1, 182,01 9. Patented May g), 1916. I

' 6 SHEETS-SHEET 6.

ZW/K

City/6.

WITNESSES THE COLUMBIA PLANOORAPH ;0., WASHINGTON, D. C.

, UNITED STATES PATENT onion.

BENJAMIN KOTKOVSKY, 0F NEW.YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO RAPID BUTTON ATTACH ING MACHINE CO., OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

IBUTTON-ATTACI-IING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 9, 1916.

To all whomv it may concern Be it known that I, BENJAMIN KoTKovsKY, a subject ofthe Czar of Russia, and a resident of the city of New York, borough of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Button-Attaching, Machine, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description. I

This invention relates to button-attaching machines and has to deal more particularly.

with improvements in the mechanism for making the button-attaching staples and driving vthe same after a button is applied to the wire blank from which the staple is formed. 7

The invention has for its general objects to improve and simplify button-attaching machines of the type disclosed in Letters Patent Number 1,134,078, granted to me on the 80th day'of March, 1915, so as to be reliable and efiicient in use, of durable and substantial design, and capable of attaching buttons with great rapidity.

More specific objects of the invention are novel, reliable and effective means for automatically feeding wire to the machine when buttons are fed thereto, means for automatically throwing out the wire feeding means when the feed of buttons is exhausted or stopped, means for operating the staple former and driver, means for operating the button staple die, and means for compelling a full stroke of the operating pedal for attaching a button before the pedal-operating means can return to normal position, whereby an improper feed of the wire or clogging of the machine can be prevented.

With such objects, in view, and others which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention comprises various novel features of construction and arrangement of parts which will be set forth with particularity in the following description. and claims appended hereto. i

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate one embodiment oftheinventio-n and wherein similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views, Figure 1. is a side view of the machine with portions in section; Fig.2 is an enlarged side view showing the wire feeding mechanism; Fig. 3 is a plan View of the machine; Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3 3, Fig. 8; Fig. 4 is a central vertical sectional view with the parts in position prior to the bending of the wire into a staple; Fig. 5 is a similar view showing the parts 1n a posltion corresponding to the stapling of a button on an article; Fig. 6 is a plan view of the staple-forming and driving elements; Fig. 7 is a side View of Fig.6; Fig. 8 is a view of the left-hand end of Fig.

.7; Fig. 9 is a right-hand view of Fig. 7

Fig. 10 is asectional view on the line 10- 10, Fig. 7; Fig.11 is a view showing an intermediate position of the actuator for the staple-forming and driving elements; Fig. 12 is a plan view of the staple-forming die; Fig. 13 is a perspective view of the fullstroke device, and Fig. 18 is a sectional view; and Figs. 14: and '17 are views of the staple-forming die and associated parts in the various positions for cutting, forming and driving a staple.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designatesv a column of the machine, which is supported on a suitable base, not shown, and on this column is a head 2 having a, socketed bottom portion 3 into which the column is screwed, and on this head 2 is the frame 4: which carries the. mechanisms for feeding buttons, supplying wire, and forming and driving the staples. I

The machine is designed to be operated by foot power, and it is provided in its base with a pedal, not shown which, when depressed, imparts upward vertical movement to a rod 5 arranged in the column 1, and this rod is connected with a lever 6 housed in the head 2, and the arm has its free end connected by a link 7 with a crank arm 8 which, is disposed in the frame it. Associated with the operating rod 5 is a full stroke device which prevents the pedal from being operated a second time unless a full strokeof the machine is made, and conse quently the machine cannot be thrown out of order. This full stroke device comprises a pair of dogs 9 swinging on horizontal pivots 10, the dogs being disposed at opposite sides of the upper extremity of the rod 5, andhaving their free portions extending toward each other.

As shown in Fig. 13, the dogs 9 have V-shaped recesses which form sharp edges 11 that are adapted to grip the rod 5 to prevent downward movement of the latter, except when a full stroke of the machinev has been made. Springs 12 are arranged on the site walls of the channel 25.

pivots and act on the dogs to throw the same downwardly, but these dogs are adapted to be released by wedges 13 engaging between'the extremities of the opposed members 14 of the dogs, such wedges being-ar ranged at diametrically opposite points on and extending upwardly from the top of a vertically slidable sleeve 15 which is disposed in the socket 3 and surrounds the rod 5. This sleeve has a slot 16 into which extends a pin 17, and when the pin engages theupper end 18 of the slot the sleeve is raised so as to release the dogs 9 and permit the rod 5 to move downwardly as the pressure of the foot on the pedal is removed. These dog-releasing wedges 13 are thrown out of engagement with the dogs by means of lugs 19 on the bottom of the head 5 of the rod when such head. reaches the limit of its downward stroke. The downward movement is limited by a stop 20 arranged on the socket 3 in such position that the outer end of the lever 6 will engage the stop when the lever moves downwardly.

Carried by the frame 4 is an anvil 21 which is spaced from the portion 22 of the frame 4, as shown in Fig. 1, for the purpose of providing a mouth to receive the article to which the buttons are to be stapled. Cooperating with this anvil is a reciprocatory staple driver 23, Figs. 4 to 10 inclusive, which is in the form of a bar slidable in a staple former 24, which latter is of U-shapedcross-section, as shown in Fig. 10, to provlde a recess or, channel 25 in which the staple driver 23 slides, the latter having on its opposite sides longitudinal ribs or beads 26 which engage in grooves 27 in the oppo- The stapleforming and driving elements are mounted in the upper portion of the frame 4 at the portion adjacent the anvil 21, and these elements reciprocate toward and from the anvil. The staple former has on its outer surfaces oppositely extending longitudinal ribs, of tongues 27. which engage in guideways formed by grooves 23 in "the inner surfaces of the two parallel plates 29,

of which the frame 4 is constructed. The staple drlving and formmg elements 23 and 24 are operated by an arm 30 which swings between the frame plates 29 and which is fastened to an axle 31 journaled in such plates, and to this axle is fastened the operating crank arm 8. The swinging arm ,0 is provided with two lugs 32 and 33 which are employed respectively to operate the staple former 24 and driver 23, the said lugs or teeth extending in a general radial direction and to diflerent radial distances from the center of the aXle or pivot 31. The tooth 32 is adapted to engage anabutment 34 on the staple former. 24 for moving the same forwardly on the stapleforming stroke when the arm 30 moves fromlthe position shown in Fig. 4. to that shown in Fig 5, and on the return stroke the tooth 32 strikes an abutment 35 and returns the staple former 24 to normal position, as shown in Fig. 4.

It is to be observed that the staple former travels in an approximately tangential line with respect to the arc of movement of the tooth 32, so that the abutments 34 and 35 are engaged with the tooth 32 only during a part of the movement of the said tooth, as the latter has a much greater range of movement than the stroke of the staple former. In Fig. 4 the tooth is shown as havingdisengaged and passed to the left of the abutment 35, while in Fig. 5 the tooth 32 is shown as having disengaged and passed to the, right beyond the abutment 34. The are of swing of thearm 30 is determined by the range of movement of the staple driver, 3

which is considerably greater than the movement of thestaple former. The staple driver is actuated on its forward or driving stroke by the lug 33,'-which' engages behind the staple driver and 'moves the same forwardly, as shown in Fig. 5, from the position shown in: Fig. 4, and on this staple driver is a depending and forwardly curved finger 36 which is located in the path of the tooth 33, so that when the arm 30 moves from the position shown in Fig. 5 to that shown in Fig.4, the tooth 32 will engage the finger 36 and return the staple driver to ini tial position, as shown in Fig. 4, but during the return movement of this staple driver the tooth 32 will engage the abutment 35 and retract the staple former, but the return movement of the staple former will be finished before the end of the return movement of the staple driver is reached; or, in other words, the tooth 32 disengages the abutment 35 while the said tooth is continuing the return movement of the'staple driver. As

the arm 30 moves forwardly, or in a clockwise direction, F 1g. 4, the tooth 32 engages the abutment 34 and moves the staple former 24 forwardly, carrying with it the staple driver 23, and when the staple is formed the tooth disenga ges the abutment 34 and thereupon the projection 33 en-' gages the rear end of the driver 23 and moves the'latter forwardly to attach a staple with a button engaging therewith, to an ar ticle placed on the anvil to receive the button.

The buttons 37 are fed to the staple forming and drivi'ng mechanism by a suitable feeding device that constitutes the subject matter of application for Letters Patent Serial Number 33,299, filed June 10, 1915, the said device including briefly an inclined chute 38 having a groove 39 in which the shanks 40 of the'buttons slide. A feeder 41 7 carried by-the chute moves from the position shown in Fig. 5 to that shown in Fig. 4,

and vice versa, for the purpose of moving the lowermost button in the chute into the staple forming and driving mechanism. The staple driver has in its forward end and top surface a longitudinally extending groove 42' into which the shank of a button is engaged, and the rear end of this slot 42 forms an abutment 43 whereby the button moved out of the chute by the feeder 41 is carried forwardly on the latterpart of the forward stroke of the driver 23 to a position to receive a wire from which a staple is formed, such position being shown in Fig. 5. During this forward movement of the button the latter passes under a guide or holder 44 which is carried by a frame 45 which has a limited vertical swing on a pivot 46, to which the rear end of this frame is connected. The frame 45 yields upwardly to permit the buttons to be moved forwardly during the staple driving action. The guide or holder 44 is movably mounted to swing on a pivot 47, and it is pressed downwardly by a spring 48 so that it will r yield to allow buttons with different size heads to be used in the machine. The button-feeding movement of the. feeder 41 is effected by the rearend of the staple former 24 engaging the lower end 49 of a lever 50 which is fulcrumed at 51. The return movement of the feeder 41 is efl'ectedby a spring 52 coiled around the pivot 53 between the lever 50 and feeder 41, such spring being placed under tension when the feeder moves during its feeding stroke from the position shown in Fig. 5 to that shown in Fig. 4, and consequently, when the staple former moves forwardly on its next stroke the spring 52 operates to return the feeder from the position shown in Fig. 4 to that shown in Fig. 5, where it will be in a position to engage the next button to be fed. An elevating device for. the button feeder 41 is employed so as to keep the latter elevated during its return stroke, such device consisting ofa shoe which is suspended by parallel links 55 from the feeder 41 and which is adapted to slide on a button-retaining bar 56 disposed over the button chute 38. When the feeder moves forwardly the shoe 54 strikes a'stop 57 and the links are thrown to a position at right-anglesto the length of the feeder, whereby the button-engaging end of the latter will be raised, but when the feeder returns while it is held elevated, the shoe 54 Cooperating withthe staple former 23 is a staple'forming die 60, Figs. 4 and 5, which has a shank 61 slidable in avertical guide passage 62 in the forward part of the frame 4, and the shank .isprovided with-a down- As shown in Figs. 4, 5 and 14, the die 7 has a recess or horizontal passage 69 in its top surface for a staple-forming wire to pass therethrough, and intersecting this passageis another passage 70 for the purpose of receiving the eye or shank 40 of a button, as shown in Fig. 4, the wire from which the staple is to be formed being designated 71.

The die 60 is automatically depressed by the movement of the staple former and staple driver. The staple former has beveled sur faces 72 which are adapted to engage horizontally projecting pins 73 on the opposite sides of the die60, such pins being so arranged that, as the staple former moves forwardly, the surfaces 7 2 act as cams to move the die 60 downwardly against the tension of its spring, whereby the button with the staple wire applied thereto will be in a position to be engaged by the staple driver and carried forwardly to the anvil, but before the (iIlVQT'CZHl complete its forward stroke the die 60 is depressed still further so as to be out of the way of the staple driver, this further depressing of the die being effected by the beveled or cam surface 74 of the front of the staple driver engaging the rounded surface 75 of the die. lVhen the die is depressed it is held depressed by the under surface of the staple driver, as shown in Fig.5, and when the staple driver and former recede'the die is raised by the spring 64, so as tobe in position for forming the next staple on the next stroke of the machine.

ire is supplied to the machine from a suitable spool-holding mechanism, the wire being fed intermittently by an oscillatory arm 7 6, Fig. 3, which receives motion only when a button is in position to receive a staple, whereby'it is impossible to clog the ma chine with wire. The arm 76 has its rear end 7 7 connected by a vertical pivot bolt. 78 with a laterally extending bracket 79 on the frame 4, so that the arm swings in a horn zontal plane. Directly under the wire feeding arm 76 and swinging on the pivot 78 is an actuating arm 80 provided with a depending stud 81 which engages in an oscillatory cam 82 which is fastened to the axle or shaft31. This cam has a groove 83 into which the stud Slextends, and as this cam moves at all times during the operation of the machine, the groove83 has a straight or neutralportion aand anofl'set portion 1), so

that it is only while the stud 81 is moved into and out of the offset or laterally turned portion b of the cam that the arm 80 receives motion. A clutch pin 84 is carried by the arm 76 and is normally urged upwardly by a spring 85, so that the bottom of the clutch pin will be disengaged from the arm 80, which latter has an opening 86 into which the clutch pin ,isengaged by a downward movement when a button is fed to staple-receiving position. As soon as the button passes from staple-receiving position the clutch pin 84 is retracted so as to .prevent the wire feeding arm 76 from operating if another button is not fed and if the actuation of the machine is continued. The

' button elevated frame 45 has an arm 88 provided with a laterally extending rear finger 89'disposed over the upper end of the clutch pin 84-, so as to depress the latter when the frame is swung upwardly to thereby connect the wire feeding arm with the actuating means. To keep the wire feeding arm 76 in operative relation to the arm 80, the former arm has a stud 76 depending therefrom and. extending into the opening 86 in the arm 80. Thus when the pin 8% is raised as shown in Fig. 3, the arm 80 is free to oscillate without moving the arm 76, but when the pin 8% is depressed, the arms 76 and 80 move as one. The wirefeeding arm has a guide eye 90, Fig. 3, for the wire, and

it is also provided with a fixed abutment or jaw 91, and'a spring-actuated movable jaw 9:2 which cooperates with the fixed jaw to grip the wire when the arm 76 moves toward the staple-forming and driving mechanism, Fig. 3, but during the reverse movement the wire is released so that another bite can be taken on the wire. A stationary wire-gripping or holding device 93 is mounted on the frame of the machine at a point between the wire-feeding arm and the staple-forming mechanism for the purpose of holding the wire from backward movement as the arm 76 moves on its return stroke. This gripping device 93 embodies a fixed and a spring actuated aw, as will be well understood. From the device 93 the wire passes into the frame of the machine through an opening 94 in a plate .95, and thence through a shearing die 96 which is pressed 7 by a spring 97 against the surface of the adacent portion 98 of the staple former 2i,

:whioh said portion of the staple former forms a shearing element cooperating with the shearing die 96 tocut off a piece ofwira that forms a staple blank. This shearing action takes place before the former presses the cut wire against the stapleforming die 7 As shown in Figs. 7 and 9 the front faces of the bifurcated members of the staple former have alining horizontal grooves position, and the grooves 26 in the opposed surfaces of the staple former receive the staple after the same has been formed and the die has been withdrawn.

It is desirable to vary the stroke of the staple driver so that buttons can be loosely or tightly stapled to an article. By shortening the stroke the staple will be flattened,

or clenched to a less degree than when the stroke is longer, whereby the button will be somewhat looser than when the staple is tightly clenched. For regulating the stroke of the staple driver an adjustable stop in the form of a screw 100, F ig. 4:, is'arranged in the frame 4- at such a point as to be engaged by the upward movement of the arm 8, such upward movement serving to move the staple driver forwardly, andby turning the screw so that its lower end will move downwardly, the stroke of the staple driver will be shortened and thereby the buttons will beloosely stapled to the article. By moving the screw upwardly the stroke of the staple driver will be'greater and the button will be stapled more tightly.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, the advantages of the construction and methodof operation will be readily understood by those skilled in the art to which the invention appertains, and while I have described the principle of operation, together with the machine which I nowconsider to be the best embodiment thereof, I desire'to have it understood that the machine shown y wire into a staple, a staple driver associated I V with the former and reciprocable parallel therewith, yielding means for holding the s 7 die in normal position, and means on the die and arranged to be engaged by the forward portions of the former and driver successively for moving the driver out of'its normal position to permit the formed staple to be driven.

2. In a button attaching machine, the combination of an anvil, a staple former,

' means for feeding buttons, a staple-forming die, means for feeding a wire to the die, means for actuating the staple former to form the wire into a staple, a staple driver, and means on the die engaged successively by the former and driver to move the die out of the path of the staple driver."

3. In a button attaching machine, the combination of an anvil, a staple former, means for feeding buttons, a staple-forming die, means for feeding a wire to the die, means for actuating the staple former. to form the wire into a staple, a staple driver, an abutment carried by the die, a cam means on the former engageable with the abutment for moving the die out of engagement with the staple when formed, andinterengaging means on the staple driver anddie for moving the die out 'of'the path oft-he staple driver. I

a. In a button attaching machine, the combination of an anvil, a staple former, means for feeding buttons, a Staple-forming die, means for feeding a wire to the die, means for actuating the staple former to form the wire into a staple, a stapledriver, an abutment carried by the die, a cam means on the former engageable with the abutment for moving the die out of engagement with the staple when formed, interengaging 'means on the staple driver and die for moving the die out of the path of the staple driver, and means for automatically restoring the die to normal position as the staple former and driver return.

5. In a button attaching machine, the combination of an anvil, a staple-forming die against the anvil, a staple former having its operative end bifurcated to span the die, means for feeding a button to the die, means for feeding a wire to the die, means for on the die and former for movingthe die downwardly after the staple is formed, a

staple driver, interengaging meansbetween the driver and die for further moving the die downwardly to permit the driver to move to the anvil, and spring means for returning the die when the driver and former are returned to normal position.

6. In a button attaching machine, the combination of an anvil, a staple-forming die, a staple former cooperating with the die, means for feeding wire to the die, a shearing die constantly pressed against the side of the staple former and cooperating therewith to shear off a piece of wire to form a staple, and a staple driver.

7. In a button attaching machine, the combination of a staple forming and driving mechanism, means for feeding buttons successively thereto, a swinging member movable simultaneously with the said mechanism, a swinging wire feeding element, and a clutch controlled by the presence of a button in the said mechanism for connecting the wire feeding element with the saidmemher to swing as a unit.

8. In a button attachlng machine, the com bination of a staple forming and driving mechanism, a swinging member movable as the mechanism operates, an arm mounted to swing on the same axis with the member and having wire-engaging means for feeding wire to the mechanism, means for feeding buttons to the mechanism, a clutch for operatively connecting the arm and member to operate together, means for normally holding the clutch open, and a device controlled by the presence of a button in the said mechanism for throwing in the clutch.

9. In a button attaching machine,the combination of a staple forming and driving mechanism, means for feeding buttons thereto, means for feeding wire to the mechanism and including a swinging arm, a second arm pivoted to swingon the same axis with the first-mentioned arm, a cam for moving the second arm while the mechanism operates, a clutch for connecting the arms together while a button is in the said mechanism to receive a staple, and means for throwing out the clutch when there is no button in the mechanism.

10. The combination of a staple forming and driving mechanism, an actuator for the said mechanism, means for feeding buttons to the mechanism successively, means for feeding wire to the mechanism, a member operated by the actuator and connected therewith tooperate during only a portion of the time of the operation of the mechanism, said member having a slot, a pin carried by the said means and engaging in the slot, and a pin carried by the said means and engaging in the slot only when a button is in the said mechanism, whereby the means and member move together for feeding wire to the button in the mechanism.

11. In a button attaching machine, a staple-forming and driving mechanism, means for feeding buttons, means for feeding wire to the mechanism, an oscillatory cam, a pivoted member oscillated by the cam, a clutch pin carried by the said means to engage with the member and receive motion from the latter, a spring acting on the pin to disengage the same from the member, and means for throwing in the clutch when there is a button in the mechanism.

12. A button attaching machine comprising a staple forming means, a staple driving means, means for feeding buttons, means for feeding wire, an operating element opera tively connected with all of said means, for

actuating the same, and a device for preventmg the said element from returning to normal position before it has been actuated its full stroke, said device including a springpressed dog adapted to engage the element for preventing the return stroke the element reaches the end of its return stroke. V

13. A button attaching means comprising a staple-forming means, a staple-driving means, means for feeding buttons, means for feeding wire, an operating element opera- 'tively connected with all of said means for actuating the same, a device forvpreyenting the said element from returning to normal position before it has been actuated its full stroke, said device comprising spring-actuated dogs arranged to engage the element for preventing return movement thereof,

means actuated by the element for throwing forming die cooperating therewith, means for feeding; wire to the die, a shearing die pressed against the side of the staple former, whereby the latter cooperates with the shearing die for cutting a wire blank for a staple,

a staple driver, and an anvil against which the staple is clenched.

15. In a button attaching machine, the combination of a staple former, a staple- :torming die cooperating therewith, means for feeding wire to the die, a shearing die pressed against the side of the staple former, whereby the latter cooperates with the shearing die for cutting a wire blank for a staple, a spring for pressing the die aginst the staple former, and an anvil against which the staple is clenched.

'In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

BENJAMIN KOTKOVSKY.

Witnesses J. H. DUBI, C. BRODWAY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Iatents,

Washington, D. 0." r 

